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252. COMPOSlTlONS. 1 .61%

. Cross Reference 4 cAaLEroN ELLIS am) aLmEn A. WELLS, or mom'cnna, new JERSEY.

GASOLENE-ENGINE-CYLINDER CLEANER NoJJrawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CARLETON ELLIS and Ammo A. WELLS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Montclair, in the countyof Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improve'ments in Gasolene-Engine-Cylinder Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an engme cylinder cleaner and to a process of cleamng the cylinders of gasolene engines, all as more fully hereinafter described.

- In the cleaning of carbon from gasolene'engine cylinders and the like it has been customary to use some simple crude mixture such for example as kerosene and the results obtained have not been very satisfactory for one reason because after charging into the cylinder a quantity of such liquid material, it becomes very diflicult to start the engine thereafter. It is necessary in many cases to introducethe liquid into a hot engine and to v allow it to act only for a short time as otherwise the engine would become cold and starting would be diflicult or almost impossible. Hence it is not desirable to apply sucha liquid to a hot engine and allow to stand over night because of the starting difliculis employed, such solvent-being ties with a cold engine. A satisfactory cylinder cleaner should contain a readily ignitlble body serving as a priming agent.

Another desideratum is that the liquid applied should posses a relatively strong action on binder of the carbon accumulations of carbon in automobile engines, cylinders, etc. Furthermore, there may be advantageously present a body possessin 1n charagter whic wou ten to a sglgtilg egratien 0.99. 225. -21.

"motif-ding to the resent invention a strong loosening or disintegrating agent for the binder of'the deposited carbon masses referably acetqne, methyl acetBne, methyl a cohol and flielike, many of the lower boiling products obtained by wood distillation and of an alco- Speoiflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Application filed May 4., 1917. Serial m. 166.334..

Examiner Ito medium or mixed solvent as a basis there may be added according to one phase of the invention an igniting agent, namely, a body of very low flash point, such as carbon bisulfid or 88 gasolene. The ignition material should bemiscible with the alcohol solvent to secure the best results and. as heavier gasolenes are not thus miscible ex-. cept with the aid of special agents such as fusel oil they are not as satisfactory for the purpose besides not giving the requisite ignition efi'cct secured by such a volatile gasolene as one of possibly 88 or 90 B: Approximately 1, volume of this light gasolene may be mixed with 2 volumes of methyl alcohol or methyl acetone, forming a clear solution which may be used as a cylinder cleaner.

Another phase of the preferred form of the invention involves the addition of an oxidizing agent which is sufliciently'soluble in the liquid vehicle to enable a substantial 0x1 atlon and cdijrbiistion 3f the Efitidhfso The carbbn bisulfid or light gasolene substance probably assists in carrylng the o x1-. dizing a nt to the carbon and in efiectmg penetratlon throu h the pores and cracks thereof and behin the carbon masses andthe walls of the cylinder so that the carbon may be forcibly blown off from the walls when ignition occurs. In some cases only a small amount of the oxidizing agent may Y be used to allow the carbon to burn out more slowly. From 3 to 5% of oxidizing agents such as ammonium nitrate ordinarily may be employed. Ammonium compounds have the advantage that they burn ofi without leav- 252. UUMIUSI l mm.

ing any residue suchas is likely to occur with sodium nitrate, and thus leave the cylinders free from any alkaline deposits. When ammonium persulfate "is used the small amount of sulfur compounds introduced does no harm, the amount of sulfur present in this way being negligible so far as any corrosive effect on the c linders is concerned, in fact a comparative y negligible uantity in comparison with the sulfur usua ly present in the gasolene in greater or less amount.

In using this composition one or two ounces or more is placed in the engine cylinders and the engine turned over without i ition, so as to get the composition well istributed through the cylinder chamber.

After standing for a suitable length of time after the carbon is softened the engine is started and masses of carbon are blown out, a cloud of black smoke indicating the effective character of the action.

A salt of the character of ammonium nitrate is more readily soluble in methyl than in ethyl alcohol solvent mixtures as shown by the following tests:

5 grams of ammonium nitrate was found to require about 100 c. c. of'denatured alcohol for solution, while 38 c. c. of ordinary wood alcohol dissolved 5 ams of the ammonium salt. The additlon of carbon bisulfid to the wood alcohol solution precipitated some of the ammonium nitrate but on the addition of methyl acetone the nitrate went into solution again. Light gasolene was then added until the mixture started to show cloudiness. The final composition resulting in this test was in the proportion of ammonium nitrate 5 rams, methyl alcohol 38 c. 0., carbon bisu] d 20 c. 0., methyl acetone 35 c. c., and 88. gasolene 15 c. c.

It will be noted that the effect of the carbon bisulfid and gasolene is to precipitate the ammonium nitrate to a greater or less extent and therefore in order to, have a considerable amount of nitrate present, a balanced solution containing a suflicient proportion of solvent for ammonium nitrate to about thisn'esult with enough carbon bisu fid or light gasolene added to serve in part at least as a primin component without being present in suc quantities as to throw down the ammonium nitrate.

We also propose to add to the composition, in some cases, a certain amount of lubricating oil so as to leave the walls of the chamber lubricated to some extent and thus improve the initial compression at the time 7 of starting so that the engine is started with greater ease. 10% or so of lubricating oil maiy be used.

o recapitulate, the present mventlon iny u! use IIUIUI uuur agent for cylinder carbon incrustations an especially some of the membersof the wood alcohol group and allied compounds of a very light and volatile character, including methyl alcohol, methyl acetone and OI'dlnar acetone; (2) preferably incorporated wit an inflammable body of low flash point such as carbon bisulfid or a light hydrocarbon of the gasolene type miscible with said agent and of such a readily i itible character as to serve as a priming substance when the engine is started; (3) preferabl incorporated with an oxidizing agent, pre erably one leaving no residue on ignition, such as ammonium persulfate or ammonium nitrate; it being understood that various modifications of the foregoing composition omitting one or more elements thereof an varying the character of each of the elements of the preferred form of the composition as may'be desired, including various additions of other li ht or heavy vehicles not herein mentioned ut applicable hereto to a greater or less extent as components, or-as additions which do not modify the gfineral effect of the composition, but whic may effect a cheapeningthereof, as for example, the use of denatured alcohol and even of ordinary gasolene to some extent or to a considerable extent according to circumstances may; not be precluded. Thus it is possible to ma e up certain mixtures with a heavy gasolene normally immiscible with alcohol so as to t a clear, well blended product. The use 0 ketones, amyl alcohol and acetate, etc., are effective for this purpose. However, it is the primary purpose of the invention to make as concentrated a carbon dislod 'ng component as possible, compatible wit securing reasonably go ignitmg'results and preferably wlth the resence of an influential amount of an oxidizing agent. In some cases the composition may even used solely as a priming agent if desired.

The process of the present invention for dislodgmg carbon from gasolene engine cylinders and cleaning the surfaces thereof 1nvolve s the application of the forego' com? positlon to the surfaces of the cylin er, allowing the material to the carbon masses, in starting the en 'ne and blowing ed the carbon material an allownkg any residual oxidizing agent to burn 0 other portions .of carbon still adhering to the cylinder.

2. A cylinder cleaner which comprises a penetrate through LXHHIIIIBI carbon softener, an igniting agent and an oxidizmg agent comprising ammonium n1- ti-ate.

carbon bisulfid and an inorganic solid oxidizing agent soluble therein and capable of decomposition completely into gaseous 5 bodies.

7. A gasolene engine cylinder cleaner comprising ammonium nitrate dissolved in a mixture of volatile highly inflammable organic solvents having a loosening action 20 on carbon deposits.

CARLETON ELLIS. ALFRED A. WELLS. 

